Corona Devo 199

"Weary" sounds like such a sad word.  I picture an old lady creeping along, bent over with a cane and heavy satchel on her back.  

Wait, I am that lady.  

The other night as I jumped out of the car for the final time that day, I gathered the bags, travel coffee  mug, water bottle, briefcase, laptop, the couple-bags-of-groceries, my glasses and the keys: and I could barely shut the door behind me!  I was too burdened with all of my "stuff".

Then I had a gestalt!  (Great word which means recognizing how the little things come together to make a big thing or idea.)

Me gathering and making myself almost immobile with my "necessary" belongings for the multiple daily car-rides AND the car-trips themselves (running to practices, gas station, the store, even work), it can all multiply and render us too burdened to move....exhausted...and weary.

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

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Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

Jesus, the Author and Perfecter (Hebrews 12:2) of our lives, our faith and the wild journey between the two: we come to You.  Just for today, put blinders on our eyes and hearts as they wander elsewhere for guidance and direction, and let us come to You.  

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

All of us?  Even those of us who are filthy with sin?...Come to me, all you...  Even those of us who can't kick the habit (we know which habit)...Come to me, all you...  Even those of us who don't feel worthy?...Come to me, all you...  Even those of us who have the "act" almost perfected of "looking the part" but inside we are "falling apart"?...Come to me, all you...

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

It's as if Jesus does a quick-scan of our lives/moods/and feelings and then correctly sums us up with a single phrase: you who are weary and carry heavy burdens

Oh, Yes, Lord: we are weary.  Weary of the world and trying to stand-up-against-it and trying to fit-in-to-it, and trying to manage our selves, schedules and our people in it.  We are weary.

Weary of expectations we place on ourselves and that others mound on top of us.

Weary of fear and unknowns in our lives.  We are weary.

And the burdens we carry are like rocks that we keep stacking up heavier and heavier in life's backpack strapped to our back.  The worries we carry strain us, our health and our relationships.  

And You see us straining.  And You beckon us: Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens...

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

God sees us struggling.  Right now, today--He sees our weariness and the burdens we bear, and he declares, promises, pledges, vows, affirms: I will give you rest.

And while we thirst for "rest", if we are honest, most of us also don't actually want to slow down enough to create it (and enjoy it!) in our lives.  We admire people sitting on their porches, but who actually chooses to take the time to do it? 

We must remember, however that God's definitions are vastly different than ours.  "Rest" to Him may come in a waiting period of our lives, when we (think) would much rather have answers immediately.  Over the years, I have seen "rest" from God come into my life in a number of ways, and most were not periods-of-rest I would have chosen.  And yet, in hindsight, I see that they were exactly the time-outs that I needed, to grow in my faith and my walk with God and others. 

Watch for the unexpected "rest" that God may deliver in your life, and be grateful.  So often we view periods-of-rest as a delay because our culture is obsessed with productivity and status.  But in a beautiful twist, God will show us (if we give Him the time) that rest is found in exactly the opposite direction of productivity and status.   

Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  ~Matthew 11:28

Today, I refuse to be that old lady creeping along, bent over with a cane and heavy satchel on her back.  Today I am going to take God up on His promise.  Let's come to Him, and accept His rest.   

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com